This is where I hate to yell you but... Trumpism is conservatism now. I understand there are a lot of people in the right of center camp that aren't particularly enamored with it for whatever reason. But until someone else takes over the ship that is the Republican party, or gets something else instead as the animating force of movement conservatism, then the two will remain one and the same.
Fair enough, and maybe I am misreading him. But to your original comment, I am all in favor of de-escalation. Everyone here knows my priors on these types of topics, but I can easily concede that those, mostly, but not all, conservative types, that have embarked on their own personal crusades are making things worse, not better. We could use a lot more chilling the F out.
I never get my panties in a twist with those who do not get theirs in a twist. And yet, my comment was enough to get Chip accusing me of thinking gay guys shouldn't be able to write musical numbers (as if anyone has the power to stop that) or thinking black people shouldn't be able to work at NASA... or something.
The proof of it is really in the pudding. Liberalism succeeds when it lays the groundwork for a society that creates such food abundance on such little land it solves the Malthusian dilemma, splits atoms, and builds hospitals where they do things on a daily basis that would have looked like miracles an eye blink ago in time. A side effect of this is of course some decadence, some indulgence, some, dare I say, fun. And that's just fine, because life is short and we can do great things and still tolerate some frivolity.
But no HR consultant preaching racial equity, no recitation of land acknowledgements, no writing your pronoun on your email signature, has ever produced any of these things. A liberal polity can, and probably must, be a place where people can indulge in their silly little flights of fancy. And once in a while one might jusg leqd to some break through. But we shouldn't treat it as anything other than that, and indeed, it's also right to laugh at the absurdity of self serious people obsessed with these things.
I'm idly wondering about the disposition of the electorate generally, Saul, not speculating that Harris is going to underperform, and certainly not in SF or the DC suburbs.
Unscientific but I feel like I have seen a lot less signage generally. I am in a close-in very, very blue suburb. There is a concentration of signs in a heavily Orthodox Jewish neighborhood near me (some Harris-Walz, some Larry Hogan, no Trump that I've seen). When I go out to the sticks I occasionally will see an ostentatious banner or two for MAGA/Trump but it feels less than before.
I take it as a signal that even places with a significant partisan lean are yearning to get passed the intensity of the last 8ish years. In my more optimistic moments I like to think that favors Harris, but that could just be my own partisan lean.
I think the lack of unity on partisan politics is a strength of Catholicism more generally, and why I give it a better chance of continued survival than many other faiths. My experience with it, which I know is probably quite different from yours, is that it skews normie.
Counterpoint: we wouldn't bestow the military largesse or run the diplomatic interference on behalf of Israel that we do but for the blob and it's influence in Congress.
I agree with you though that, to the extent anyone else is obsessed with it, your description is apt.
My take on Coates is... not as negative as some but not particularly positive either.
I think the simple truth is that Israel and Palestine is an obsession of the foreign policy establishment but as far as the average American goes no one thinks or cares much about it.
I recall a few reports in the earliest days of people being arrested for huge house parties out in the further flung DC suburbs. By summer things weren't 'normal' exactly but various systems and exceptions made it hard to understand what, if any, coherent line was being drawn. The big exception was the public schools, which to be clear was a line, but not really a coherent one.
My point is more that I think you did have a lot of people making sacrifices in their personal lives, even where they knew that there probably would not be serious consequences for doing otherwise.
As best as I can tell, as long as you were outside of New York City, the initiatives operated mostly on the honor system, and most people tried to do what was asked.
The exception is if you own and/or work in retail or restaurants, and the exception wasn't that cops were going around checking to see if there were any visitors from outside of the household in your home. It was that you couldn't earn a living because those places were closed. Sort of. Sometimes. And then there was the school situation.
That's a heck of a reminder and good context. We had the 16 month old of a couple we are friends with staying with us that weekend while the wife delivered because (i) their parents were afraid to come down from the NY/NJ area and risk and/or spread covid, and (ii) the hospitals were legit throwing post partum women out right away to make room and avoid spread, so there was no real recovery time. It was nuts.
It's more the inability to take responsibility. Was it really so impossible to just do that, without turning the whole thing into a tirade about being targeted by right wing extremists? I don't have any soft spots for conservative media provacateurs. I find them annoying and insufferable. But they are not the ones who scheduled the sex parties for him, and I am certain they didn't put a gun to his head to force him to attend.
I think there are two basic approaches to the issue. One is a healthy, 'there, but for the grace of God, go I..' mentality. This generally encourages humility, openness to forgiveness, and hesitancy to be too judgmental or mean spirited to those who fall short. The other approach is neurotic obsession. This leads to projection, cruelty, and of course self hatred as the person is unable to control his or her own escalating worst impulses.
We just went through the same kind of saga with our fridge. Broke down a week and a half ago. Took the gamble on a repairman to see if we could kick the can down the road a little further but lost the bet. That was annoying but what really sucked was having 2 separate fridges arrive for delivery damaged, then an extra fridge show up after we had gone with a different hardware store, and a new one had already been successfully delivered and installed. The delay lost us a bunch of food and money but I am not sure what we could have done better.
Modern pop feminism is dedicated to the radical notion that women are not people, but flawless beings devoid of all humanity, all of whose deeds are good actually and completely justified by the circumstances.
*Comment archive for non-registered commenters assembled by email address as provided.
On “Why a Trump Loss is Best for Conservatives”
This is where I hate to yell you but... Trumpism is conservatism now. I understand there are a lot of people in the right of center camp that aren't particularly enamored with it for whatever reason. But until someone else takes over the ship that is the Republican party, or gets something else instead as the animating force of movement conservatism, then the two will remain one and the same.
On “Open Mic for the week of 9/23/2024”
Fair enough, and maybe I am misreading him. But to your original comment, I am all in favor of de-escalation. Everyone here knows my priors on these types of topics, but I can easily concede that those, mostly, but not all, conservative types, that have embarked on their own personal crusades are making things worse, not better. We could use a lot more chilling the F out.
"
I never get my panties in a twist with those who do not get theirs in a twist. And yet, my comment was enough to get Chip accusing me of thinking gay guys shouldn't be able to write musical numbers (as if anyone has the power to stop that) or thinking black people shouldn't be able to work at NASA... or something.
"
I have no idea what you're arguing here.
"
The proof of it is really in the pudding. Liberalism succeeds when it lays the groundwork for a society that creates such food abundance on such little land it solves the Malthusian dilemma, splits atoms, and builds hospitals where they do things on a daily basis that would have looked like miracles an eye blink ago in time. A side effect of this is of course some decadence, some indulgence, some, dare I say, fun. And that's just fine, because life is short and we can do great things and still tolerate some frivolity.
But no HR consultant preaching racial equity, no recitation of land acknowledgements, no writing your pronoun on your email signature, has ever produced any of these things. A liberal polity can, and probably must, be a place where people can indulge in their silly little flights of fancy. And once in a while one might jusg leqd to some break through. But we shouldn't treat it as anything other than that, and indeed, it's also right to laugh at the absurdity of self serious people obsessed with these things.
On “History Will Be Made: Harris VS Trump”
I'm idly wondering about the disposition of the electorate generally, Saul, not speculating that Harris is going to underperform, and certainly not in SF or the DC suburbs.
"
Heh zoom out far enough and the stakes of some election in 21st century America seem downright puny.
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Unscientific but I feel like I have seen a lot less signage generally. I am in a close-in very, very blue suburb. There is a concentration of signs in a heavily Orthodox Jewish neighborhood near me (some Harris-Walz, some Larry Hogan, no Trump that I've seen). When I go out to the sticks I occasionally will see an ostentatious banner or two for MAGA/Trump but it feels less than before.
I take it as a signal that even places with a significant partisan lean are yearning to get passed the intensity of the last 8ish years. In my more optimistic moments I like to think that favors Harris, but that could just be my own partisan lean.
"
I think the lack of unity on partisan politics is a strength of Catholicism more generally, and why I give it a better chance of continued survival than many other faiths. My experience with it, which I know is probably quite different from yours, is that it skews normie.
On “Open Mic for the week of 9/23/2024”
Counterpoint: we wouldn't bestow the military largesse or run the diplomatic interference on behalf of Israel that we do but for the blob and it's influence in Congress.
I agree with you though that, to the extent anyone else is obsessed with it, your description is apt.
My take on Coates is... not as negative as some but not particularly positive either.
"
I think the simple truth is that Israel and Palestine is an obsession of the foreign policy establishment but as far as the average American goes no one thinks or cares much about it.
On “Open Mic for the week of 9/16/2024”
I recall a few reports in the earliest days of people being arrested for huge house parties out in the further flung DC suburbs. By summer things weren't 'normal' exactly but various systems and exceptions made it hard to understand what, if any, coherent line was being drawn. The big exception was the public schools, which to be clear was a line, but not really a coherent one.
My point is more that I think you did have a lot of people making sacrifices in their personal lives, even where they knew that there probably would not be serious consequences for doing otherwise.
"
As best as I can tell, as long as you were outside of New York City, the initiatives operated mostly on the honor system, and most people tried to do what was asked.
The exception is if you own and/or work in retail or restaurants, and the exception wasn't that cops were going around checking to see if there were any visitors from outside of the household in your home. It was that you couldn't earn a living because those places were closed. Sort of. Sometimes. And then there was the school situation.
"
If we are going to condemn the person that went into the gas station without NPI I don't see how we can let the attendees of a sex party off the hook.
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That's a heck of a reminder and good context. We had the 16 month old of a couple we are friends with staying with us that weekend while the wife delivered because (i) their parents were afraid to come down from the NY/NJ area and risk and/or spread covid, and (ii) the hospitals were legit throwing post partum women out right away to make room and avoid spread, so there was no real recovery time. It was nuts.
"
Regulator Sex Parties sounds like a good name for a German industrial band.
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It's more the inability to take responsibility. Was it really so impossible to just do that, without turning the whole thing into a tirade about being targeted by right wing extremists? I don't have any soft spots for conservative media provacateurs. I find them annoying and insufferable. But they are not the ones who scheduled the sex parties for him, and I am certain they didn't put a gun to his head to force him to attend.
"
Article is paywalled but I googled and the guy's response is pathetic.
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Like you do.
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No, quite the opposite actually. Just a realist.
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Gigglesnort.
I'm glad you said this so I didn't have to.
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I could certainly see the case for that. My wife on the other hand? I have grave doubts.
"
I think there are two basic approaches to the issue. One is a healthy, 'there, but for the grace of God, go I..' mentality. This generally encourages humility, openness to forgiveness, and hesitancy to be too judgmental or mean spirited to those who fall short. The other approach is neurotic obsession. This leads to projection, cruelty, and of course self hatred as the person is unable to control his or her own escalating worst impulses.
On “Weekend Plans Post: The Return to the Office”
We just went through the same kind of saga with our fridge. Broke down a week and a half ago. Took the gamble on a repairman to see if we could kick the can down the road a little further but lost the bet. That was annoying but what really sucked was having 2 separate fridges arrive for delivery damaged, then an extra fridge show up after we had gone with a different hardware store, and a new one had already been successfully delivered and installed. The delay lost us a bunch of food and money but I am not sure what we could have done better.
On “Open Mic for the week of 9/16/2024”
Modern pop feminism is dedicated to the radical notion that women are not people, but flawless beings devoid of all humanity, all of whose deeds are good actually and completely justified by the circumstances.
*Comment archive for non-registered commenters assembled by email address as provided.